Space Sustainability for the Next Century

Society is becoming increasingly reliant on satellite technologies and services for everyday activities, and access to space is essential to many emerging markets and further space exploration. Loss of space-based services or access to space could have significant, detrimental societal and economic impacts.

Challenges related to the sustainability of space include technologies for active debris removal and designing satellites for demise, existing and future regulations and how they can deliver long-term sustainability for satellites orbiting Earth and other celestial bodies, and the broader impacts that major and cascading events may have on the economy.

This webinar will present several concepts on the subject of ‘Sustainability for Space’ and ensuring space is kept clean and accessible for the next century. A panel will discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges of such concepts. Participants are invited to pitch a single slide, lightning talk on a concept relating to space sustainability for discussion and debate.

If you are interested in attending or pitching, please register now, or if you have any questions email ke@sa.catapult.org.uk.

Agenda

10:00 – Welcome and Introduction – Paul Febvre, CTO, Satellite Applications Catapult

10:10 – Talk 1: Overview of space sustainability – Temi Shogelola, Space Sustainability Lead at UKSA

Session 1:

Host: Paul Febvre, Satellite Applications Catapult

10:20 – Talk 2: What constellations are doing to mitigate risks (debris and light pollution) – Maurizio Vanotti, VP of Space Infrastructure & Partnerships at OneWeb

10:30 – Talk 3: Space safety and sustainability – Professor Massimiliano Vasile, University of Strathclyde

10:40 – Talk 4: Technologies that can secure a future for the space sector – Victoria Irwin, Head of Business at SSTL

10:50 – Talk 5: Space sustainability: A commons governance challenge writ large – Professor Marc Ventresca, University of Oxford

11:00 – Panel discussion, Q&A: Temi Shogelola, UKSA

                                                            Maurizio Vanotti, OneWeb

                                                            Professor Massimiliano Vasile, University of Strathclyde

                                                            Victoria Irwin, SSTL

                                                            Professor Marc Ventresca, University of Oxford

11:20 – Break

Session 2:

Host: Prof Colin McInnes, University of Glasgow

11:25 – Talk 6: Sensors or Data: What Do We Need for Sustainable Space? – Ralph Dinsley, Executive Director at NORSS

11:30 – Talk 7: In-orbit servicing to support a sustainable future in space – Dr Jason Forshaw, Head of Future Business UK & Europe at Astroscale Ltd.

11:35 – Talk 8: Space Sustainability – The Case for Collaboration – Katherine Courtney, Business Innovation & Strategy

11:40 – Talk 9: Mega-constellations and Space as an Environment under threat: looking through it as well as working within it – Professor Andrew Lawrence, Royal Observatory Edinburgh

11:45 – Talk 10: Alternative fuels and overview of Ecosene – Derek Harris, Business Operations Manager at Skyrora Ltd.

11:50 – Q&A

12:05 Summary and Close – Paul Febvre, Satellite Applications Catapult